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Source Evaluation. How Do I K now What to Use?. When using any source material, it is important to evaluate the credibility of the source before using it or citing it. Faulty sources can adversely affect a school grade or just make you look stupid.
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How Do I Know What to Use? • When using any source material, it is important to evaluate the credibility of the source before using it or citing it. Faulty sources can adversely affect a school grade or just make you look stupid. • While it is important to evaluate everything, websites and other internet sources warrant particular scrutiny.
C.A.R.D. • One system for evaluating a source is C.A.R.D. (adapted from Ann B. Perham http://www2.needham.k12.ma.us/nhs/nhs_media/NHSLibrary/stulinks/CARD.html) Content Author Reliability Design
Content • Some important questions to ask about a source’s content include: Is the information accurate? Is it current/new? Is the approach shallow or scholarly? Do you still need more info? Is this the best source for this info?
Author • Some important questions to ask about a source’s author include: Who is the author? What are his/her credentials? Is he/she an expert? Is a bibliography/source list given? Who links to it?
Reliability • Some important questions you should ask about a source’s reliability include: Is it biased? Does it present all sides of an argument? Is information presented as fact or opinion? What is its purpose? What is its domain name?
Design • Some important questions to ask about the source’s design include: Do the links work? Is the site more focused on content or looks? Are there errors in grammar, spelling, or syntax? Is the design consistent throughout?
Conclusion • Any source or site that meets most or all of these criteria should is probably reliable and useful. • Be wary of sites for which these questions cannot be readily answered.
Let’s Try It. • Now that you know how to evaluate sources, let’s try it together. • Sample Source #1 • Sample Source #2